segreteria

Segreteria is the Italian noun denoting the office and function responsible for administrative support and secretarial duties within an organization. The term derives from Latin secretarium and is related to the idea of keeping records and handling confidential matters. It can refer to the department itself—the group of staff assigned to support management—or to the activities conducted by that group; the corresponding person is a segretario or segretaria. In public administration, the segreteria may support the mayor, the city council, or a ministry, handling correspondence, archiving, calendar management, scheduling of meetings, and preparation of reports and minutes. In educational institutions, segreteria didattica or segreteria studenti manage student records, enrollment, exams, and graduation procedures. In ecclesiastical contexts, the Segreteria di Stato represents the central administrative body coordinating diplomacy and internal administration of the Holy See. In corporations and associations, a segreteria provides front-desk reception, document processing, and coordination among departments. The term is often used interchangeably with ufficio segreteria or segreteria generale at higher levels, though the latter may denote a broader authority. With digitalization, segreteria duties increasingly involve electronic document management, workflow systems, and e-government interfaces, while preserving core functions of document handling, correspondence, and scheduling.